System and method for handset operation in a wireless communication network

ABSTRACT

User equipment (UE) is configured to automatically detect the presence of an access point (AP) in any one of a plurality of venues and to transmit identification information to the AP to authenticate the UE. The venue receiving the authentication request transfers the authentication request and identification information to an authentication server to automatically authenticate the UE whenever it is carried inside a venue. The venues may be coupled to a Cloud network with the authentication information stored on the Cloud network. Whenever the UE enters any of the venues, the UE is automatically authenticated when it comes within range of any AP within any of the venues. The venue may use an application program interface to provide advertising, coupons, web links, images, audio, video, streaming video, and the like to the UE. The venue may direct the UE to a website or provide a link to the website.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/706,894 filed on May 7, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/604,418 filed on Sep. 5, 2012, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/398,727 filed onFeb. 16, 2012 and a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.13/363,943 filed on Feb. 1, 2012, which are continuations-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/093,998 filed on Apr. 26, 2011, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/958,296 filed onDec. 1, 2010, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/616,958 filed on Nov. 12, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,190,119,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/397,225filed on Mar. 3, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,970,351, the entiredisclosures and content of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to wireless communicationdevices and, more particularly, to a system and method of handsetoperation to facilitate communication in dynamically formed short-rangecommunication networks.

Description of the Related Art

Wireless communication networks have become commonplace. A vast array ofbase stations is provided by a number of different wireless serviceproviders. Wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, personalcommunication system (PCS) devices, personal digital assistant (PDA)devices, and web-enabled wireless devices communicate with the variousbase stations using one or more known communication protocols. Whileearly cell phone devices were limited to analog operation and voice-onlycommunication, modern wireless devices use digital signal protocols andhave sufficient bandwidth to enable the transfer of voice signals, imagedata, and even video streaming. In addition, web-enabled devices providenetwork access, such as Internet access.

In all cases, the individual wireless communication devices communicatewith one or more base stations. Even when two wireless communicationdevices are located a few feet from each other, there is no directcommunication between the wireless devices. That is, the wirelessdevices communicate with each other via one or more base stations andother elements of the wireless communication network.

Some wireless service providers have included push-to-talk (PTT)technology that allows group members to communicate with each otherusing PTT technology. Thus, when one group member presses the PTTbutton, the communication from that individual is automaticallytransmitted to the communication devices of other group members. Whilethis gives the appearance of direct communication between the wirelessdevices, the communications between group members are also relayed viaone or more base stations as part of the wireless network.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is a need for wirelesscommunication devices that can communicate directly with nearby wirelessdevices. The present invention provides this, and other advantages, aswill be apparent from the following detailed description andaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system architecture configured toimplement a communication system in accordance with the presentteachings.

FIG. 2 is functional block diagram of one of the wireless communicationdevices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 using an accesspoint as part of a network.

FIG. 4 illustrates a dynamic network topology using an access point.

FIG. 5 is an example network architecture of a dynamic networkillustrating communication between user equipment, wireless accesspoints, and a wireless service provider network.

FIG. 6 illustrates a venue with a large number of distributed wirelessaccess points.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system architecture in which a venue communicateswith a Cloud network.

FIG. 8 illustrates the Cloud network of FIG. 7 communicating withmultiple venues.

FIG. 9 illustrates content push technology in a venue facilitated by anapplication programming interface on user equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The system described herein extends the normal operational features ofconventional wireless communication devices. As described above, theconventional wireless communication device communicates with a wirelesscommunication network base station using a first transceiver (i.e., anetwork transceiver). The extended capabilities described herein providea second transceiver device that allows wireless communication devicesto communicate directly with each other over a short distance andfurther describes network management techniques capable of managing adynamic network that may change quickly.

The wireless communication devices are illustrated as part of a system100 illustrated in the system architecture in FIG. 1. Portions of thesystem 100 are conventional wireless network components that will bedescribed briefly herein. The non-network communication capability,which may be referred to herein as a “jump-enabled” device or a “jump”device, will be described in greater detail below. The term “jump”refers to the ability of a wireless device designed and operated inaccordance with the present teachings to jump from one short-rangewireless network to another.

A conventional wireless communication network 102, such as a public landmobile network (PLMN), includes a base station 104. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that the typical wireless communication network 102will include a large number of base stations 104. However, for the sakeof brevity and clarity in understanding the present invention, FIG. 1illustrates only a single base station 104.

The base station 104 is coupled to a base station controller (BSC) 106.In turn, the BSC 106 is coupled to a gateway 108. The BSC 106 may alsobe coupled to a mobile switching center (not shown) or otherconventional wireless communication network element. The gateway 108provides access to a network 110. The network 110 may be a private corenetwork of the wireless communication network 102 or may be a wide areapublic network, such as the Internet. In FIG. 1, a user computing device112 is illustrated as coupled to the network 110.

For the sake of brevity, a number of conventional network components ofthe wireless communication network are omitted. The particular networkcomponents may vary depending on the implementation of the wirelesscommunication network 102 (e.g., CDMA vs. GSM). However, these elementsare known in the art and need not be described in greater detail herein.

Also illustrated in FIG. 1 are wireless communication devices 120-128.The wireless communication devices 120-128 are illustrative of manydifferent types of conventional wireless communication devices capableof communicating with the base station 104 or other base stations (notshown) in the wireless communication network 102. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that the wireless communication network 102 maycommunicate using a variety of different signaling protocols. Forexample, the system 100 may be successfully implemented using, by way ofexample, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS, 3G, 4G, LTE, and the like. The system100 is not limited by any specific communication protocol for thewireless communication network 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 120communicates with the base station 104 via a wireless networkcommunication link 130. Similarly, the wireless communication device 122communicates with the base station 104 via a wireless networkcommunication link 132. Each of the wireless communication devicesillustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., the wireless communication devices 120-128)contain a conventional transmitter/receiver or transceiver components topermit conventional communication with the wireless communicationnetwork 102 via the base station 104 or other base station (not shown).Operational details of conventional network communication are known inthe art and need not be described in greater detail herein.

In addition to the conventional network transceiver components, thejump-enabled wireless communication devices illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g.,the wireless communication devices 120-128) also include a short-rangetransceiver to allow direct communication between the devices. Thisshort-range communication is accomplished without reliance on thewireless communication network 102. Indeed, as will be described ingreater detail below, the short-range transceivers in the mobilecommunication devices 120-128 permit the dynamic formation of ashort-range communication network 116 that does not rely on the wirelesscommunication network 102 provided by any wireless service provider.Thus, wireless communication devices can rely on the conventionalwireless communication network 102 for some communications, but may alsobe part of the short-range communication network 116 formed between themobile devices themselves. In the example of FIG. 1, the wirelesscommunication device 120 communicates with the base station 104 via thewireless network communication link 130. Similarly, the wirelesscommunication device 122 communicates with the base station 104 via thenetwork wireless communication link 132. However, in addition, thewireless communication devices 120 and 122 may communicate directly witheach other via a short-range communication link 134.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 124 is notin communication with the wireless communication network 102. However,the wireless communication device 124 can communicate directly with thewireless communication device 122 via a short-range wirelesscommunication link 136. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 are the wirelesscommunication devices 126-128. Although neither of these devices is incommunication with the wireless communication network 102, the twodevices are in direct communication with each other via a short-rangewireless communication link 138. Thus, jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices must be in proximity with each other, but need notbe in communication with the wireless communication network 102 or evenin an area of wireless coverage provided by the wireless communicationnetwork.

The dynamic formation of one or more short-range networks 116 allowscommunication between the wireless communications devices 120-128independent of the wireless communication network 102 even if thewireless communication network 102 is present and operational. Theshort-range communication network 116 advantageously allowscommunication in settings where the wireless communication network 102is not present or in a situation where the wireless communicationnetwork is unavailable. For example, the wireless communication network102 may be unavailable during a power outage or an emergency situation,such as a fire, civil emergency, or the like. In contrast, theshort-range communication network 116 does not rely on anyinfrastructure, such as cell towers, base stations, and the like. Aswill be described in greater detail below, the short-range communicationnetwork 116 may be extended as jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices move throughout a geographic location.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrative of one of the wirelesscommunication devices illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 120). The wireless communication device 120includes a central processing unit (CPU) 150. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the CPU 150 may be implemented as a conventionalmicroprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digitalsignal processor (DSP), programmable gate array (PGA), or the like. Thewireless communication device 120 is not limited by the specific form ofthe CPU 150.

The wireless communication device 120 in FIG. 2 also contains a memory152. In general, the memory 152 stores instructions and data to controloperation of the CPU 150. The memory 152 may include random accessmemory, read-only memory, programmable memory, flash memory, and thelike. The wireless communication device 120 is not limited by anyspecific form of hardware used to implement the memory 152. The memory152 may also be integrally formed in whole or in part with the CPU 150.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includesconventional components, such as a display 154 and a keypad or keyboard156. These are conventional components that operate in a known mannerand need not be described in greater detail. Other conventionalcomponents found in wireless communication devices, such as a USBinterface, Bluetooth interface, camera/video device, infrared device,and the like, may also be included in the wireless communication device120. For the sake of clarity, these conventional elements are notillustrated in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includes a networktransmitter 162 such as may be used by the wireless communication device120 for the conventional wireless communication network with the basestation 104 (see FIG. 1). FIG. 2 also illustrates a network receiver 164that operates in conjunction with the network transmitter 162 tocommunicate with the base station 104. In a typical embodiment, thenetwork transmitter 162 and network receiver 164 share circuitry and areimplemented as a network transceiver 166. The network transceiver 166 isconnected to an antenna 168. The network transceiver 166 is illustratedas a generic transceiver. As previously noted, the mobile communicationdevices (e.g., the mobile communication devices 120-128) may beimplemented in accordance with any known wireless communication protocolincluding, but not limited to, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS, 3G, 4G, WiMAX,LTE, or the like. Operation of the network transceiver 166 and theantenna 168 for communication with the wireless communication network102 is well-known in the art and need not be described in greater detailherein.

The wireless communication device 120 of FIG. 2 also includes ashort-range transmitter 172 that is used by the wireless communicationdevice 120 for direct communication with other jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices (e.g., the wireless communication device 122 ofFIG. 1). FIG. 2 also illustrates a short-range receiver 174 thatoperates in conjunction with the short-range transmitter 172 tocommunicate directly with other jump-enabled wireless communicationdevices (e.g., the wireless communication device 122 of FIG. 1). In atypical embodiment, the short-range transmitter 172 and short-rangereceiver 174 are implemented as a short-range transceiver 176. Theshort-range transceiver 176 is connected to an antenna 178. In anexemplary embodiment, the antennas 168 and 178 may have commoncomponents are implemented as a single antenna.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a controller 182 and a data storage area 184. Aswill be described in detail below, the controller 182 controls theexchange of data between wireless communication devices that become partof the short-range communication network 116. The data storage 184contains user profile data and messaging data that will be exchangedbetween wireless communication devices in the short-range communicationnetwork 116. The data storage area 184 may be implemented as anyconvenient data structure. As will be described in greater detail below,the data storage area 184 contains data (e.g., messages, personalprofile information of contacts, a geographical location tag for eachcontact, and the like) that will be exchanged between wirelesscommunication devices. The data may be stored as a simple list, part ofa database, or any other convenient data storage structure. The userprofile can include a broad array of information such as user name,nickname, age, sex, education and work background, hobbies, foodpreferences (love sushi, Hunan, and Mediterranean food, etc.), and thelike. In one embodiment, described in U.S. application Ser. No.12/397,225, filed on Mar. 3, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,970,351, twowireless devices may exchange portions of user profile data to determinewhether there is a suitable match between the users. If the phonesdetermine that there is a suitable match based on the user profiles, analert signal may be generated to indicate to the individual users thatthere is a person nearby that they should meet. In another embodiment,user profile data may be used in a business venue to determineappropriate marketing and advertisement data based on the user profile.

The data storage area 184 also stores a list of other nearby wirelesscommunication devices that form part of the short-range wirelesscommunication network 116. In addition, the data storage area 184 mayinclude an Allowed List 184 a and a Blocked List 184 b in connectionwith device authentication. As will be described in greater detailbelow, the Allowed List 184 a contains identities of nearby wirelesscommunication devices and wireless hot spots that have been verifiedwhile the Blocked List 184 b includes a list of nearby wirelesscommunication devices that have been determined not to be authentic orwhich the user, a their own discretion, has decided to block.

The various components illustrated in FIG. 2 are coupled together by abus system 186. The bus system may include an address bus, data bus,power bus, control bus, and the like. For the sake of convenience, thevarious busses in FIG. 2 are illustrated as the bus system 186.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, the user can download anapplication programming interface (API) that will control operation ofthe wireless communication device and enable the formation of theshort-range communication network 116. In addition, when the wirelesscommunication device is coupled to a WiFi hotspot, such as in a businessvenue, the API can operate in conjunction with the computer system ofthe business venue to actively control the user experience on thewireless communication device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the short-range transceiver 176 may bedesigned for operation in accordance with IEEE standard 802.11,sometimes referred to as WiFi. Many modern wireless communicationdevices are equipped with WiFi and may be readily upgraded to supportthe functionality described herein. Because the wireless communicationdevices 120-128 all include WiFi capability, short-range communicationnetworks 116 may be formed even though the wireless communicationdevices may be designed to operate with incompatible wirelesscommunication networks 102. For example, the wireless communicationdevice 122 may be configured for operation with a GSM implementation ofthe wireless communication network 102. The wireless communicationdevice 124 may be configured for operation with a CDMA implementation ofa wireless communication network 102. Even though the wirelesscommunication devices 122-124 are incompatible with respect to therespective wireless communication networks 102, the wirelesscommunication devices 122-124 may still communicate directly with eachother via the short-range communication network 116. Thus, the wirelesscommunication devices 120-128 may operate compatibly to form theshort-range communication networks 116 even though the networktransceivers 166 (see FIG. 2) may operate with different incompatiblewireless communication networks 102. In one embodiment, when thejump-enabled wireless communication device 120 comes within range of anyother jump-enabled wireless communication device (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 122 of FIG. 1), it establishes a short-rangewireless communication link (e.g., the short-range wirelesscommunication link 134).

Various techniques for establishing the short-range communicationnetwork 116 (see FIG. 1) are described in U.S. application Ser. No.12/397,225 filed on Mar. 3, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,970,351, U.S.application Ser. No. 12/616,958 filed on Nov. 12, 2009, U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/958,296, filed on Dec. 1, 2010, and U.S. application Ser.No. 13/093,998 filed on Apr. 26, 2011, the entire disclosures andcontent of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, the system 100 goes beyondsome of the conventional operation of WiFi standards to permit a largenumber of wireless communication devices to communicate directly witheach other. In one embodiment, a local hot spot is used to initiate theformation of the short-range communication network 116. Onceestablished, the short-range communication network 116 may continue toexist even if the hot spot (or group owner) is no longer present. In yetanother alternative embodiment, described below, the wirelesscommunication devices may be pre-programmed to utilize a common SSID,IPrange, and port to spontaneously form a short-range communicationnetwork 116 even in the absence of any hot spot.

In an exemplary embodiment of the system 100, each wirelesscommunication device (e.g., the wireless communication devices 120-128)transmits a beacon signal with the same SSID, such as the SSID “JUMMMP”to identify the device as a jump-enabled wireless communication device.In addition, the beacon frame includes several other data fields such asa media access layer (MAC) address for source and destination. In thebeacon frame, the destination MAC address is set to all ones to forceother wireless communication devices to receive and process the beaconframe. The beacon frame used in the system 100 may also includeconventional elements, such as a time stamp used for synchronizationwith other wireless devices, information on supported data rates,parameter sets that indicate, for example, transceiver operationalparameters such as the IEEE 802.11 channel number and signaling methodsuch as operation at the physical layer (PHY) and operation in a directfrequency spectrum (DSSS) or a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)operational modes. These conventional WiFi parameters are known in theart and need not be described in greater detail herein.

In addition, since there is no access point, all jump-enabled wirelesscommunication devices take on the responsibilities of the MAC layer thatcontrols, manages, and maintains the communication between thejump-enabled wireless communication devices by coordinating access tothe shared radio channel and the protocols that operate over thewireless medium. In an exemplary embodiment, the MAC is implemented inaccordance with IEEE 802.2. At the PHY layer, the transceiver mayoperate in a DSSS or a FHSS operational mode. Alternatively, the PHYlayer may be implemented using infrared transceivers. The IEEE 802.11standard defines a common operation whether devices are using the ad hocor the infrastructure mode. The use of the ad hoc mode only affectsprotocols, so there is no impact on the PHY layer. Thus, the wirelesscommunication device 120 may operate under IEEE 802.11a at 5 gigahertz(GHz) under IEEE 802.11b/g at 2.4 GHz, or IEEE 802.11n, which operatesat both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe wireless communication device of the system 100 may be readilyadapted for operation with future versions of IEEE 802.11.

In an alternative embodiment, the wireless communication devices 120-128may be configured in accordance with IEEE WiFi Direct standards. WiFiDirect allows any wireless communication device in the short-rangecommunication network 116 to function as the group owner. WiFi Directsimplifies the process of establishing a communication link. Forexample, the WiFi protected set up allows a communication link to beestablished by entering a PIN or other identification or, simplypressing a button. As will be described herein, the jump-enabledwireless communication devices actively seek to establish links withother jump-enabled devices to automatically establish a short-rangecommunication network 116.

In yet another alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3, thejump-enabled wireless communication devices (e.g., the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122) may communicate with an access point 140,such as a WiFi base station, WAP, wireless router, or the like. As willbe described in greater detail below, a wireless communication device(e.g., one of the wireless communication devices 120-124) may functionas the access point 140 to permit others of the wireless communicationdevices in the short range communication network 116 to access thenetwork 110 via the wireless communication device serving as the accesspoint. FIG. 3 illustrates a wireless communication link 142 establishedbetween the access point 140 and the wireless communication device 120.Similarly, the wireless communication device 122 establishes a wirelesscommunication link 144 with the access point 140. Thus, a short-rangecommunication network 116 a is formed in conjunction with the accesspoint 140. To assist in a better understanding of the presentdisclosure, short-range communication networks will be generallyreferred to by the reference 116. Specific examples of short-rangecommunication networks will be referred to by the reference 116 and analphabetic identifier (e.g., the short-range communication network 116 ain FIG. 3).

Depending on the physical proximity of the wireless communicationdevices 120-124, there may be one or more short-range communicationnetworks 116 formed. In the example of FIG. 3, the wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 are both within range of the access point140. Therefore, the first short-range communication network 116 a can beformed with the wireless communication devices 120-122 and the accesspoint 140.

The wireless communication device 124 is within range of the wirelesscommunication device 122, but is not within range of the access point140. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device 124 may bebecome part of the short-range communication network 116 a via thewireless communication device 122. In this embodiment, the wirelesscommunication device 122 functions as a “repeater” or relay to relayinformation between the wireless communication device 124 and otherparts of the short-range communication network 116 a. In anotherembodiment, a second short-range communication network 116 b is formedwith the wireless communication devices 122-124. In this exemplaryembodiment, the wireless communication device 122 is part of bothshort-range communication networks 116 a-116 b. The wirelesscommunication device 122 may simultaneously be a member of bothshort-range communication networks 116 a-116 b or may be logicallyconnected to both short-range communication networks 116 a-116 b byalternately switching between the short-range communication networks 116a-116 b.

The access point 140 is coupled to the network 110 in a conventionalmanner. This can include a wired or wireless connection directly to thenetwork 110 or via an intermediate network gateway, such as thoseprovided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). FIG. 3 also illustratesa JUMMMP Network website 200, which may support an individual web page202 for each member (e.g., an individual person, business, organization,etc.) of the JUMMMP Network. FIG. 3 also illustrates a genericconventional social network website 206, which may support an individualweb page 208 for each member of the social network. The JUMMMP networkwebsite 200 and social network website 206 are each coupled to thenetwork 110. Although illustrated in FIG. 3 as two separate networkwebsites, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the JUMMMPwebsite 200 can effectively function as a social network website.Similarly, the JUMMMP website technology can be incorporated intoexisting social network websites. Thus, the two separate websitesillustrated in FIG. 3 can effectively be combined into a single website.

As discussed in detail in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.12/616,958, filed on Nov. 12, 2009 and assigned to the assignee of thepresent application, the user of a jump-enabled wireless communicationdevice (e.g., the wireless device 120) may use the web-browsingcapability of the wireless communication device to access the individualJUMMMP web page 202 for the individual with whom contact has just beenmade to learn more about that individual. Alternatively, the user of ajump-enabled wireless communication device (e.g., the wireless device120) may use the web-browsing capability of the wireless communicationdevice to access the user's own individual JUMMMP web page 202 to storeinformation for the individual with whom contact has just been made. Acontact list 204, which is typically a portion of the individual JUMMMPweb page 202 is configured to store contact information. Similarly, theindividual web page 208 of the social network 206 can include a contactlist 210 to store contact information. In one embodiment, the contactinformation may include a user profile exchanged along with individualmessages between users. As will be discussed in greater detail below,the user profile can include user name and preferences, as well asinformation about the specific exchange of messages. For example, theuser profile can include the date and time at which messages wereexchanged, geo-location data (e.g., latitude and longitude) of thesender of a message, and the like, and can also be stored as userprofile data in the contact list 204. Applications for the profile dataare described in greater detail below.

The wireless communication devices 120-128 (see FIG. 1) generally havesufficient memory capacity to temporarily store contact information. Inan exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication device (e.g., thewireless communication device 120) can temporarily store new contactinformation until access to the network 110 becomes available at a latertime. In addition, the wireless communication device 120 can storedesignated contact information (e.g., “Favorites”) on a more permanentbasis. Long-term storage of contact information requires access to thenetwork 110. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, access to the network 110 maybe provided via the base station 104 in a conventional manner. Thewireless communication device 122 may access the network 110 bycommunicating directly with the base station 104. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, access to the network 110 may be provided via the access point140, as described above. For example, the wireless communication device122 in FIG. 1 may access the network 110 by communicating directly withthe access point 140 via the short-range communication link 144.Alternatively, the wireless communication device 122 can access thenetwork 110 and the JUMMMP network website 200 via the wirelesscommunication link 132 to the base station 104. Network access via thegateway 108 is well known in the art and need not be described ingreater detail herein.

In an alternative embodiment, access to the network 110 may be providedvia another jump-enabled wireless communication device. For example, inFIG. 1, the wireless communication device 122 can communicate with thebase station 104 via the wireless communication link 132 while thewireless communication device 124 cannot communicate directly with thebase station. However, the wireless communication device 124 is inproximity with the wireless communication device 122 and can communicatewith the wireless communication device 122 via the wirelesscommunication link 136 as part of the short-range communication network116. In this embodiment, the wireless communication device 124 can usethe wireless communication device 122 as a repeater or relay to allowthe wireless communication device 122 to access the network 110 via thewireless communication device 122 and the base station 104.

Similarly, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the wireless communicationdevices 120-122 can communicate directly with the access point 140 viathe wireless communication links 142-144, respectively. The wirelesscommunication devices 120-122 can also communicate with each other viathe access point 140 thus forming the short-range communication network116 a. As seen in FIG. 3, the wireless communication device 124 cannotcommunicate directly with the access point 140. However, the wirelesscommunication device 124 is in proximity with the wireless communicationdevice 122 and can communicate with the network 110 via the wirelesscommunication device 122 and the access point 140.

As previously noted, the system 100 provides for the dynamic formationand rapid change in the topography of the short-range communicationnetworks 116. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a first short-rangecommunication network 116 formed with the wireless communication devices120-124 and a second short-range communication network 116 formedbetween the wireless communication devices 126-128. FIG. 4 illustratesthe dynamic nature of the wireless communication networks 116. Forexample, if the wireless communication device 128 is initially withinrange of the wireless communication device 126, but out of range of theaccess point 140, the wireless communication devices 126-128 may form ashort-range communication network 116 c using the short-rangecommunication link 138. If the wireless communication device 126 comeswithin range of the access point 140, a wireless communication link 212is formed. In that event, the wireless communication device 126 maybecome part of a short-range communication network 116 d formed betweenthe access point 140 and the wireless communication devices 120 and 126.At this particular moment in time, the mobile communication device 126may be part of both the short-range communication network 116 c and theshort-range communication network 116 d. As discussed above, thewireless communication device 126 may actually be part of both theshort-range communication networks 116 c-116 d or may logically beconnected to both the short-range wireless communication networks byswitching back and forth between the short-range communication networks116 c-116 d. The logical switching between the short-range communicationnetworks 116 c-116 d is transparent to the user. Other examples of theshort-range communication network 116 are described below in which noaccess point 140 is present.

Alternatively, the wireless communication device 128 may become part ofthe short-range communication network 116 d using the wirelesscommunication device 126 as a relay to the access point 140. If, at alater time, the wireless communication device 128 comes within range ofthe access point 140, a wireless communication link 214 is formed therebetween. At that point in time, the short-range communication network116 c effectively ceases to exist since the wireless communicationdevices 126-128 are now part of the short-range communication network116 d.

The wireless communication device 120 may be part of the short-rangecommunication network 116 d by virtue of the short-range communicationlink 142 coupling the wireless communication device 120 to the accesspoint 140. If the wireless communication device 120 comes within rangeof the wireless communication devices 122-124, wireless communicationlinks 216-218 will be formed to couple the wireless communicationdevices 120-124 and thereby dynamically form a short-range communicationnetwork 116 e. At this point in time, the wireless communication device120 may simultaneously be part of the short-range communication network116 d and the short-range communication network 116 e. Alternatively,the wireless communication devices 122-124 may become part of theshort-range communication network 116 d via the wireless communicationdevice 120.

If the wireless communication device 120 subsequently moves out of rangeof the access point 140, the wireless communication link 142 is broken.Therefore, there will no longer be an overlap between the short-rangecommunication networks 116 d-116 e. The wireless communication device120 would remain part of the short-range communication network 116 e solong as it remains within range of the wireless communication device122, the wireless communication device 124, or both. Thus, those skilledin the art will appreciate that short-range communication networks aredynamically formed, modified, and dissolved as the wirelesscommunication devices move in and out of range with each other andcentral points, such as the access point 140. Furthermore, if thewireless communication device 120 comes back into range of the accesspoint 140, the wireless communication link 142 can be reestablished.When this happens, all prior communications from the short-rangecommunication network 116 e will be transferred to the short-rangecommunication networks 116 d and 116 c (and vice-versa) through there-echoing function described above. That is, the various wirelesscommunication devices will resynchronize the data in the data storagearea 184 (see FIG. 2). Those skilled in the art will also appreciatethat the short-range communication networks 116 may be formed, modified,and dissolved without the presence of the access point 140.

FIG. 4 illustrates the wireless communication device 120 as a keycomponent in the short-range communication network 116 e because itconnects the wireless communication devices 122-124 to the access point140. If the wireless communication device 120 suddenly moved out ofrange of the access point and/or the wireless communication devices122-124 that connection may be broken. Similarly, if the user of thewireless communication device 120 suddenly turned off the device, thelink between the short-range communication network 116 e and the accesspoint 140 would disappear. The wireless communication devices 122-124still communicate with each other via the wireless communication link136 and will still search for other wireless communication devices withwhich to connect. In addition, either of the wireless communicationdevices 122-124 will attempt to find the access point 140 or a hot spotfrom which either of the wireless communication devices may access thenetwork 110.

FIG. 4 illustrates a sparse network with only five wirelesscommunication devices. However, those skilled in the art can appreciatethat there may be a very large number of wireless communication devicesin proximity with each other. For example, if FIG. 4 is illustrative ofa large shopping mall or a university campus, there may be hundreds ofwireless communication devices within range of each other and/or theaccess point 140. Thus, the short-range communication networks 116 maybe large and extensive. There may be a large number of wirelesscommunication devices that are simultaneously present in two or moreshort-range communication networks 116. In addition, many wirelesscommunication devices would provide overlapping coverage with multipleshort-range communication networks 116. In this scenario, the entiremall and surrounding parking area could be effectively covered by a meshnetwork comprising dozens or hundreds of short-range communicationnetworks 116. Thus, in the situation illustrated in FIG. 4 where thewireless communication device 120 is turned off or moved out of range ofother wireless communication devices is less likely to cause the totalisolation of the short-range communication network 116 e. If thewireless communication device 120 were suddenly removed, either bypowering down or by the departure from the area, many other wirelesscommunication devices (not shown) in the same proximity would be able toreplace the connectivity between the short-range communication network116 e and the access point 140.

Whenever a wireless communication device (e.g., the wirelesscommunication device 124) comes within range of other wirelesscommunication devices, a short-range wireless communication network(e.g., the short-range wireless communication network 116 e), thewireless communication devices exchange message data with each other tothereby synchronize message data in the data storage area 184 (see FIG.2). At the end of the synchronization process, the data storage area 184of each wireless communication device will contain the same messagedata, although messages may not be in the same sequence. In the exampledescribed above, when the wireless communication device 124 comes withinrange of the wireless communication device 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication device 122, the wireless communication links 136 and 218are formed. Because the wireless communication device 124 has justjoined the short-range communication network 116 e, the data storagearea 184 of the wireless communication device 124 will not besynchronized with the data storage area of other wireless communicationdevices in the short-range communication network 116 e. During thesynchronization process, the wireless communication device 124 transmitsmessage data in its data storage area 184. The wireless communicationdevices 120 and 122 receive the message data. The controller 182 (seeFIG. 2) in each wireless communication device receives the message dataand merges the messages with the message data already stored within thedata storage area 184 of the wireless communication devices 120 and 122,respectively. The controller 182 in each of the wireless communicationdevices may also eliminate duplicate messages. In this manner, eachwireless communication device manages the message data within its datastorage area 184.

As part of the synchronization process, the wireless communicationdevices 120 and 122 may also transmit the message data within theirrespective data storage areas 184. The wireless communication device 124receives the messages from the wireless communication devices 120 and122 and merges the newly received messages in the data storage area 184of the wireless communication device 124. As described above, thecontroller 182 (see FIG. 2) of the wireless communication device 124 mayeliminate duplicate messages within its data storage area 184. Followingthis synchronization process, all wireless communication devices in theshort-range communication network 116 e will have identical messages.

In an exemplary embodiment, the messages may be categorized as PublicMessages, Group Messages, Direct Messages, and Status Messages. PublicMessages may be transmitted to anyone within range of the wirelesscommunication device (e.g., the wireless communication device 120). Thismay include emergency messages, messages broadcast from a retailer, andthe like. Group Messages are intended for a specific group ororganization, such as a scout group or employees of a particular companyor any formed group. Direct Messages are private messages intended for aspecific individual. In addition, the wireless communication device 120may transmit Status Messages, which can include, by way of example, alist of other wireless communication devices in the particularshort-range communication network 116, a list of recent wirelesscommunication devices in the particular short-range communicationnetwork, a list of other short-range communication networks in which thewireless communication device was recently a member, or the like. Thedata message process described above can include one or more of thesemessage categories. Other message categories may be created asnecessary.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/093,998, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHODFOR MANAGEMENT OF A DYNAMIC NETWORK USING WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONDEVICES,” FILED ON Apr. 26, 2011, and incorporated by reference in itsentirety, provides additional details of the message exchange process.As described therein, the Public and Group Messages may be contained inone file and all Direct Messages contained in a separate file. Themessages have a main header and individual message headers. The mainheader may include, by way of example, the date/time of the lastmodification, message count, the date/time of the last synchronizationand the user name of the wireless communication device with which thelast synchronization was performed. This information may help maintainsynchronization between wireless devices. The individual message headerscan also include geo-location data (e.g., latitude and longitude) of themessage sender.

The message data may include, but is not limited to, text message data,audio data, video data, multimedia data, or the like. As those skilledin the art will appreciate, Public Messages may be received andprocessed by any wireless communication device. In contrast, GroupMessages may only be processed by a member of the designated group,while a Direct Message may only be processed by the individual wirelesscommunication device for whom the message is intended.

Synchronization may occur directly between the wireless communicationdevices or via the access point 140 illustrated in FIG. 4. For example,message synchronization can occur between the wireless communicationdevice 120 and the wireless communication device 126 using the accesspoint 140. In addition, as will be described in greater detail below,wireless communication devices can carry message data as they move fromone short-range communication network to another.

In another embodiment, a retail business may broadcast Public Messagesto nearby wireless communication devices. In an exemplary embodiment,the retail facility can set up a wireless access point (e.g., thewireless access point 140 in FIG. 3) to establish a short-rangecommunication network 116. For example, a retail facility in a shoppingmall can transmit advertisement messages to nearby wirelesscommunication devices. In a typical embodiment, these would be PublicMessages that are freely relayed from one wireless communication deviceto another and from one short-range wireless communication network 116to another. Using this form of message distribution, an advertisementfrom a retail facility will soon be disseminated to all wireless usersin the area. The advertisements may take the form of text messages orany other data message described above.

In another aspect, an individual user may register with a business.Whenever the user comes within range of the short-range communicationnetwork 116 associated with the retail business, message data may beexchanged thus enabling the business to identify a particular user thatis nearby. In this embodiment, the retail business may send a privateadvertisement message to the particular user. The private advertisementmay be customized for the user based on a number of factors, such as theuser's profile (e.g., the sex, age, and interests of the user), priorshopping patterns, or the like. It can also be based on statistical andhistory data that the retail business has collected on the user in oneor more short-range communication networks 116 in the region around theretail business. For example, if a particular user has registered with arestaurant and comes within range of the short-range communicationnetwork 116 of that restaurant at a subsequent time after registration,the restaurant can send a private advertisement message to entice thatuser into the restaurant by offering a discount on a meal previouslypurchased by that user. If the user is a sports enthusiast, a sports barcould send a message that a particular sporting event (e.g., the user'scollege football team) is ongoing and offer a discount on a meal. Inthis manner, highly customized advertisements may be sent to individualusers.

In some situations, the user may not be within range of the short-rangecommunication network 116 of the restaurant, but may still be nearby.Because the wireless communication devices in the various short-rangecommunication networks 116 relay messages, any message from a particularuser may be relayed to the retail business via one or more short-rangecommunication networks 116. Thus, a business at one end of a mall maydetect the arrival of a particular user at the opposite end of the malland still transmit a customized advertisement message to that user.

Furthermore, if the user has downloaded the API, discussed brieflyabove, the wireless communication device can automatically seek out andautomatically connect to venues that have previously been registered asauthenticated vendors. This may include business venues (e.g., shoppingmalls, clothing stores, sports bars, restaurants, and the like). In thisembodiment, the wireless communication device can detect the accesspoint 140 of a particular venue and determine whether it is anauthenticated vendor. In one embodiment, an authenticated vendor willappear on the allowed list 184 a (see FIG. 2) so that the wirelesscommunication device can automatically authenticate the venue andestablish a communication link with the access point 140 of thatauthenticated vendor. As will be described in greater detail below, theauthenticated vendor can use the established communication link toprovide a variety of data to the wireless communication device. This caninclude advertising, point-of-sale (POL) applications, multi-caststreaming video, audio data, image data, and the like. Further detailsof the API and interaction between the wireless communication device anda venue using the API will be discussed in greater detail below.

In another example, a wireless communication device may communicate withmultiple vendors within a particular venue and receive information thatvaries from one venue to another. This is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7. InFIG. 5, wireless communication devices are referred to generically asuser equipment (UE). The term UE is intended to include any wirelesscommunication device capable of processing audio, video, and textmessaging. This includes smart phones, laptops, PDAs, computer tablets(e.g., an iPad™), and the like.

FIG. 5 illustrates UEs 400-404 in a venue such as a shopping mall. TheUE 400 uses the network transceiver 166 (see FIG. 2) to communicate witha radio access network (RAN) 406. The RAN 406 is intended to genericallyrepresent a base station (e.g., the base station 104 in FIG. 1) and anyassociated support circuitry. The UE 400 establishes a wirelesscommunication link 408 with the RAN 406 in a conventional manner.

FIG. 5 also illustrates wireless communication links 410-412 couplingthe UE 400 with access points (APs) 416-418, respectively. In a typicalshopping mall setting, the APs 416-418 may be associated with differentindividual stores in the shopping mall or associated generally with theshopping mall and provide data for one or more individual stores withinthe shopping mall. The APs associated with different stores will eachhave a different feature set and are controlled by a separate server.Each AP may have its own operational policy and policy server or policyengine. In addition, each AP may or may not allow device-to-devicecommunication (i.e., communication between the UEs). Furthermore, eachAP may or may not allow access to the Internet (e.g., the network 110).For example, the AP 416 may or may not allow the UE 400 to access thenetwork 110 based on the particular policies implemented by the AP 416.

In one embodiment, the UE (e.g., the UE 400) must log on and registerwith each AP (e.g., the AP 416) in order to establish the wirelesscommunication link 410 to receive ads or other content from the AP 416.As the UE moves into range of another AP (e.g., the AP 428), the UE 400can perform another log on and authentication process with the new AP.In an alternative embodiment, described in greater detail below, thevarious stores may become part of a larger Cloud network. The API willpermit automatic authentication of a UE whenever it comes within rangeof an AP that is part of the Cloud network (the vendor is anauthenticated vendor on the Cloud network).

FIG. 5 also illustrates the UE 404 communicating with the AP 418 via thewireless communication link 420. The UE 402 also communicates with theAP 418 via a wireless communication link 422. In FIG. 5, the UE 402establishes wireless communication links 424-426 with APs 428-430,respectively. In the example if FIG. 5, the AP 428 and the AP 430 may beco-located in the same store and are coupled to a server 432. In thisembodiment, the two APs 428-430 form a network back bone that creates atether for multiple phones within the store in which the APs arelocated. As the customer moves throughout the store, the API will causethe UE 402 to connect to the AP 428 or the AP 430 depending on thesignal strength. If other UEs come within range of the APs 428-430, theUEs may communicate for the all the purposes described above eitherdirectly or via the WiFi AP mesh network formed by the APs 428-430.

As will be described in greater detail below, the server 432 may controlthe flow of data to and from the UE 402 via the AP 428 and/or the AP430. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the APs (e.g., the AP416) can be implemented in a variety of fashions. In one embodiment, theAP 416 may be directly coupled to a service provider. For example, theAP 416 may be implemented as a cable modem with wireless connectivityfor the UE 400. In another embodiment, the AP 416 may be coupled to acomputer (not shown) which controls operation of the AP 416 as well ascontrolling communications with the network 110. In this embodiment, thenetwork 110 may be a wide area network, such as the internet.

In addition to the various wireless communication links between the UE400 and the RAN 406 and/or the AP 416-418, the API will cause the UE 400to establish a wireless communication link 434 with the UE 402. Thewireless communication link 434 is established using the short-rangetransceiver 176 (see FIG. 2) thus permitting the UE 400 and 402 toestablish the short-range communication network 116. The short-rangecommunication network 116 in FIG. 5 operates in a manner describedabove.

In the example of FIG. 5, the AP 416 and AP 418 may be access points fordifferent businesses. As the UE 400 moves within range of the AP 416,the wireless communication link 410 is established and the AP 416 maydisseminate business information, such as messages, coupons,advertisements, and the like. Similarly, when the UE 400 moves withinrange of the AP 418, the wireless communication link 412 is establishedand the UE 400 may receive business information from the AP 418. In theexample of FIG. 5, some or all of the information received from the AP416 via the wireless communication link 410 may be relayed from the UE400 to the UE 402 via the wireless communication link 434. Thus,information from the business associated with the AP 416 may bedisseminated to other UEs (the UE 402 in FIG. 5) via the short rangecommunication network 116. As discussed above, a wireless communicationlink (e.g., the wireless communication link 120 in FIG. 4) may serve asa hot spot in a short-range communication network 116. However, in somesettings, such as the shopping mall example illustrated in FIG. 5, thereis generally sufficient coverage provided by the APs spread throughoutthe shopping mall. Thus, the short-range communication networks maytypically be established using an AP, such as the AP 140 in FIG. 4 orany of the APs shown in FIG. 5. As will be discussed in greater detailbelow, the API includes a verification system to assure the authenticityof the information received by the UE 400 from the AP 416 and the AP418.

In FIG. 5, the UE 402 has established wireless communication links424-426 with the APs 428-430, respectively. As noted above, these APsmay be in a large business. As the user moves from one department toanother or from one store level to another, he may move in or out ofrange of one AP or the other. Thus, the information provided to the UE402 may be customized for the user based on the user's current locationwithin the business.

FIG. 6 illustrates a large venue 440, such as a casino. In such a largevenue, there may be related businesses 442-446 located within or nearthe venue 440. In the casino example, the related business 442 may be aperformance venue for singers, comedy acts, and the like. The relatedbusiness 444 may be a nightclub while the related business 446 may be arestaurant.

Due to the large size of the venue 440, it may be necessary to deploy anetwork of APs, illustrated by the reference number 448. The positionand coverage area of the APs 448 can be determined based on theparticular hardware implementation. The actual distribution andinstallation of the APs 448 within the venue 440 is within theengineering knowledge of one skilled in the art and need not bedescribed in greater detail herein.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, all of the APs 448 may be coupled to aserver (e.g., the server 432 in FIG. 5) or a gateway 450 (see FIG. 7).As the UE 400 moves throughout the venue 440, it is making and breakingwireless communication devices with one or more of the APs 448. Theidentity of the UE 400 can be verified by the UE providing a profile anduser information and signing up for the WiFi service and downloading theAPI in exchange for free WiFi service. Initially this may beaccomplished through a portal page, as will be described in greaterdetail below.

Once the identity of the UE 400 has been verified, the server 432 canuse the installed API in each UE 400 to provide customized messages tothe owner of the UE. While the UE 400 remains within the venue 440, itis in substantially continuous contact with the APs 448 and may receivedata therefrom. For example, the UE 400 could receive an ad for free ordiscounted tickets to the performance venue 442 or an invitation tohappy hour at the nightclub venue 444 or a discounted meal at therestaurant venue 446. If the owner of a UE 400 is not a registered guestat a hotel within the venue 440, the APs 448 could send an invitation orad to book a room in the venue 440. The UE 400 can communicate with theserver 432 via the APs 448 to accept one or more of the ad offers. Forexample, the UE 400 could transmit an acceptance and book tickets at theperformance venue 442. Similarly, the user of the UE 400 can book a roomin the venue 440.

Using the installed API, the venue 440 can establish virtuallycontinuous wireless communication links with the UE 400 and provide astream of ad content (e.g., ads, offers, discounts, etc.) for the venue440 and the related businesses 442-446. Thus, the stream of ad data tothe UE 400 may be for the venue 440 and the related businesses 442-446.Alternatively, the venue 440 may provide advertising for a differentvenue (not shown). For example, if the venue 440 is a casino in a largecity, such as Las Vegas, the server 432 may provide ad content for arelated business down the street or even for a third-party business withwhom the venue 440 has contracted to provide advertising to the UE 400.For example, the AP 448 may provide advertising for a convention at adifferent venue or for a boxing match at a different venue. Thus,advertising content may or may not be related to the venue 440 in whichthe UE 400 is presently located.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system architecture that allows operation of thesystem across multiple venues. In FIG. 6, the venue 440 is illustratedwith a limited number of UEs 400 and a limited number of APs 448. Asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 6, the venue 440 may have a largenumber of APs 448 distributed throughout the venue. The various APs arecoupled together using routers, switches, and the like. Those routers,switches and gateways are illustrated in FIG. 7 by the reference 450.Among other things, the gateway 450 allows an interconnection to thenetwork 110 via a communication link 452, but could be any wide areanetwork. In a typical embodiment, the network 110 may be implemented asthe Internet. In addition to the communication link 452, the gateway 450provides a backhaul 454 to a cloud computing environment designated as aJUMMMP Cloud 456. The backhaul 454 may be implemented in a variety ofdifferent manners using known technology. In one embodiment, thebackhaul 454 may be routed to the JUMMMP Cloud 456 via the network 110.

Within the JUMMMP Cloud 456 are a number of components. A web portalpage and policy controller server 458 controls user authenticationacross a number of different venues in addition to the venue 440. Anetwork management element 460 controls overall operation of the networkin the JUMMMP Cloud 456.

FIG. 7 illustrates a number of different web pages that may bedownloaded to the UE 400 in the venue 440. In one embodiment, the venue440 may include its own server and store its own portal pages. However,such an architecture requires that each venue have a separate server tosupport this functionality. The system in FIG. 7 advantageously utilizesthe web portal page server and policy controller server 458 for multiplevenues. The JUMMMP Cloud 456 may have some common pages for all venues,such as a log-in web page 462. However, even the log-in web page may beunique to the venue 440.

In addition to the log-in web page 462, the JUMMMP Cloud 456 may haveone or more interstitial web pages 464. For example, interstitial webpages may display information about the venue 440 (or advertising forbusinesses within the venue, third party advertising, or advertising forother venues within the JUMMMP network) while the user is waiting forcompletion of the registration verification process. In addition, theJUMMMP Cloud 456 may include one or more welcome web pages 466. Thewelcome web pages 466 may offer various services, such as a credit carddata entry page, and Internet access sign-up page, a voucher code entrypage to permit the user to enter discount voucher data, and the like.For example, the initial registration can provide WiFi connectivity at acertain service level, such as a basic bandwidth. However, the welcomepages may include an offer to upgrade WiFi connectivity to a higherbandwidth for an advertised price. If the user is a guest at the venue440, the charge can be automatically made to the user's room. In anotherembodiment, the user's phone may be charged for the upgraded bandwidthservice. Other similar services may be provided in the welcome web pages466.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the interstitial web pages464 and the welcome web pages 466 may be unique to the venue 440. Eventhough these web pages may be unique to the venue, the centralized webportal page server 458 within the JUMMMP Cloud 456 simplifies theoverall system architecture within the venue 440 and within other venuesby eliminating the need for a portal page server within each venue.

A local ad server 468 in the JUMMMP Cloud 456 may provide ads for thevenue 440. As discussed above, the ads may be for the venue 440 itselfor for the related businesses 442-446 (see FIG. 6). In addition, the adsmay be for businesses near the venue 440 (or for other venues in theJUMMMP network). The centralized ad server 468 in the JUMMMP Cloud 456simplifies the network architecture within the venue 440 and othervenues by eliminating the need for an ad server within each venue. Eventhrough the ad server 468 is centralized within the JUMMMP Cloud 456, itmay contain a plurality of local ads for each of a number of differentvenues.

A data base server 470 in the JUMMMP Cloud 456 may be configured tocollect a broad range of information regarding the UEs 400 (includingthe user profile information from the data storage area 184 (see FIG. 2)that was provided via the API when the UE was first identified in thevenue. The profile information will help provide targeting marketing andadvertising to the UE as it traverses the venue). As previouslydiscussed, data messages may include geo-location data. The geo-locationdata (e.g., longitude and latitude) can be obtained in several possibleways. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device (e.g., the UE400 in FIG. 7) may have built-in GPS. Other possible locationdetermination technologies include WiFi, 3G, approximationtriangulation, or last-known location of the user. Other known locationtechnologies may also be implemented in the system 100. For example, theUE 400 will communicate with different ones of the access point 448 inthe venue 440 shown in FIG. 6. As the UE 400 moves throughout the venue,new communication links are established with nearby access points 448.By identifying which access point 448 the UE 400 is communicating with,it is possible to determine the location of the UE 400 with a reasonabledegree of accuracy.

The database server 470 is configured to store location information,along with time/date data to thereby track movements of the UE 400. Inone embodiment, the database server 470 can also be configured to storemessage data from the UEs 400 throughout the system 100. In yet anotherembodiment, the database server 470 may also store user profiles for theUE 400 as well as profile data collected by the UE 400 from other JUMMMPusers. In one configuration, the API, which is installed on the UE 400as part of the verification process described above, is configured togenerate a “heartbeat” signal that periodically reports location databack to the database server 470. The location data may include atime/date stamp to provide location information for the UE 400. Thisinformation can be useful for marketing purposes. Using the example ofFIG. 6, where the casino venue 440 includes a large area as well asrelated businesses 442-446, the database server 470 can determine howlong the UE 400 remains in a particular area (e.g., one area of thecasino), how many times and how long the UE remains at the bar, in anightclub or the like. By collecting this information, the databaseserver 470 can establish a user profile for the UE 400 for marketingpurposes.

The JUMMMP Cloud 456 also includes an IP transfer point 472, which iscoupled to a mobile operator network 474 via a communication link 476.As those skilled in the art will appreciate, mobile data offloading,also called data offloading, involves the use of complementary networktechnologies for delivering data originally targeted for cellularnetworks, such as the mobile operator network 474. In areas where thecellular network traffic is heavy, network congestion may occur. Toreduce congestion, mobile network operators sometimes set up WiFi accesspoints in areas of congestion and allow some of the data originallytargeted for the mobile operator network 474 to be carried by the WiFinetwork. Rules triggering the mobile offloading action can be set by anend user (i.e., the mobile subscriber) or the mobile network operator.The software code operating on the offloading rules can reside in the UE400, in a server, or divided between these two devices. For the endusers, the purpose of mobile data offloading may be based on the costfor data service and the ability of higher bandwidth. For mobile networkoperators, the main purpose for offloading is to reduce congestion ofthe cellular network. The primary complementary network technologiesused for mobile data offloading are WiFi, femtocells, and integratedmobile broadcast.

In a typical embodiment, each mobile network operator has its own WiFinetwork to offload data that would otherwise be carried on itsparticular mobile operator network. In the context of FIG. 7, the APs448 within the venue 440 do not belong to the operator of the mobileoperator network 474 as is normally the case in data offloading. In theimplementation described in the present disclosure, the data offloadingis provided by the venue 440 through contract with the mobile operatornetwork 474. Although FIG. 7 illustrates only a single mobile operatornetwork 474, those skilled in the art will appreciate that it isrepresentative of one or more mobile operator networks. In operation,each mobile operator network contracts with the venue 440, eitherdirectly or with the JUMMMP Cloud 456, to provide data offloading in thevenue. When the UE 400 enters the venue, the mobile network operator isnotified and the mobile operator network 474 can determine whether ornot to offload data traffic for that UE. If data offloading for the UEis approved in accordance with the rules described above, Internetaccess, text messaging, and even telephone calls can be provided to theUE 400 via a connection from the mobile operator network 474 through thecommunication link 476 to the IP transfer point 472 within the JUMMMPCloud 456. In turn, that offloaded data is routed through the backhaul454 to an AP 448 and ultimately to the UE 440. Similarly, outgoing callsfrom the UE 400 may be routed in the reverse fashion. This approach hasthe beneficial effect of offloading traffic from an otherwise congestedmobile operator network 474. In addition, the mobile network operatormay find improved performance because direct communication with the UE400 through a base station (e.g., the base station 104 in FIG. 1) maynot work well when the UE 400 is inside a building, such as the venue440. Thus, improved reception and reduction in network congestion aredouble benefits of the IP offloading provided by the JUMMMP Cloud 456.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the policy server controller 458 mayfunction as a registration server to assure the authentication of the UE400. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components shownin the JUMMMP Cloud 456 are illustrated as individual elements. In oneembodiment, a single policy controller server 458 may be sufficient fora large area, such as the entire country. Indeed, in one embodiments, asingle policy controller server 458 may provide registration servicesfor the entire system 100. However, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the policy controller server 458 may be illustrative ofa number of different computing platforms designed to implement thefunctionality of the policy controller server. In one embodiment theremay be a policy controller server for large cities, individual states,regions of the country, or an entire country. In another embodiment, thepolicy controller server 458 may be implemented in a hierarchicalfashion where a local or regional policy server controller 458 containslocal and regional data, but may communicate with regional or nationalpolicy controller servers 458 on a higher hierarchical level. Forexample, if the UE 400 performs an initial registration in one city,that registration data may be stored in a local implementation of thepolicy controller server 458 and reported to a regional or nationallevel of the policy controller server. In this manner, the registrationdata may be efficiently distributed throughout a wide area. As will bediscussed in detail below, this arrangement also facilitates easysubsequent authentication of the UE 400.

The UE 400 must register with the system 100 at some initial point intime. The initial registration can be performed remotely using, by wayof example, a laptop or PC 110 (see FIG. 1) connected to the JUMMMPCloud 456 via the network 110. In another variation, the UE can performan initial registration as it enters the venue 440 illustrated in FIG.7, as described above. When the UE 400 initially contacts the AP 448,the policy controller server 458 will not have any data related to aparticular UE 400. In this case, that initial AP 448 in the venue 440may perform an initial registration. For the initial registration, theUE 400 can connect to the initial AP 448 and provide identificationinformation. In an exemplary embodiment, the user can complete theinitial registration process by providing data, such as the telephone ID(i.e., the phone number), a device ID, a user ID, and an email addressas well as other information, such as the user profile in the datastorage area 184 (see FIG. 2). The user ID may be a user generated name,nickname, or the like. The device ID may vary based on the particulartype of the UE 400. For example, if the UE 400 utilizes an Android™operating system, the device will be assigned an Android™ ID. Inaddition, the UE 400 may typically be assigned an international mobileequipment identification (IMEI). Any of these device identificationsalone may be transmitted to the registration server 460. In anotheralternative embodiment, a unique hash of one or more device IDs may begenerated and transmitted to the registration server 460 as the deviceID. The short-range transceiver 176 (see FIG. 2) may also include anidentification, such as a MAC address that is unique to the UE 400. Theregistration data described above can be provided to the registrationserver 460 along with the MAC address. As part of the initialregistration process, the API is downloaded and installed on the UE 400.As part of the registration process, the user can review and accept anyterms and conditions for installation of the API. The registration datamay be stored in association with the MAC address. Once the initialregistration process has been completed, subsequent authentications aregreatly simplified. Once the initial registration process is completed,the web portal page server 458 may transmit other pages, such as thelog-in web page 462, one or more interstitial web pages 464, and thewelcome web page 466 shown in FIG. 7.

The UE 400 can also perform the initial registration using aconventional wireless service provider network. As previously discussedthe UE 400 can communicate with the RAN 406 (see FIG. 5) via thewireless communication link 408 in a conventional manner. Those skilledin the art will appreciate that the UE can access the network 110 viathe RAN 406. Conventional wireless service provider components, such asa gateway to the network 110 are known in the art, but not illustratedin FIG. 5 for the sake of clarity. In one embodiment, the UE 400 canperform a registration process with the registration server 460 via theRAN 406. In this embodiment, the UE 400 accesses a website, such as theJUMMMP network website 200 illustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, theregistration server 460 may be associated with the JUMMMP networkwebsite 200 (see FIG. 3) or the JUMMMP Cloud 456 of FIG. 7. In thisembodiment, the API may be downloaded and installed on the UE 400 viathe RAN 406. Again, the user can review and accept the terms andconditions as part of the API installation process.

Alternatively, the UE 400 may perform an initial registration using aconventional computer (e.g., the user computing device 112 of FIG. 1) toprovide the registration data for the UE 400 to the policy controllerserver 458. For example, the user may make a reservation to visit ahotel, such as the casino venue 440 illustrated in FIG. 6. In aconfirmation email from the hotel, the user may be invited to perform aregistration process with the registration server using, by way ofexample, a link to a registration web page. If the user has previouslyregistered the UE 400 with the policy controller server 458, the usercan simply provide a message to the policy controller server 458 thatthe user (and the UE 400) will soon be in Las Vegas. The policycontroller server 458 can download the authentication information to thelocal or regional registration server associated with the geographiclocale of the casino venue 440. In addition, the registration server 460may preload the data in the Allowed List 184 a and the Blocked List 184b in the UE even before the UE 400 arrives in Las Vegas.

If the UE registration occurs at the venue via an AP (e.g., the AP 448in FIG. 7), the policy control server 458 knows the geographic locale ofthe UE 400. The downloaded data for the Allowed List 184 a (see FIG. 2)and the Blocked List 184 b are lists of authenticated andunauthenticated APs in the geographic region in which the UE 400 ispresently located. In this manner, the UE 400 knows that information,such as messages, coupons, advertisements, and the like are receivedfrom valid and registered businesses. At the same time, the UE 400 willblock such data if the AP sending such data is in the Blocked List 184b.

In one embodiment, a previously-registered UE 400 may come within rangeof the initial AP 448 in the venue 440 of FIG. 7 and establish awireless communication link therewith. In establishing the communicationlink, the API will cause the UE 400 to transmit its MAC address and/orthe phone ID or IMEI. The AP 448 transmits an authentication requestmessage to the registration server 416 to determine whether the UE 400is a registered device. Based on the MAC address, the registrationserver can confirm that the UE 400 has previously registered. Thus, theUE 400 is automatically authenticated whenever it comes into range of anAP 448 of the system 100. This may occur transparently to the user. Thisautomatic authentication process can occur even if the initialregistration was in a completely different part of the country. Thus,the UE 400 may move from one venue 440 to another in the same city orregion or may be in a completely different part of the country and beautomatically identified and authenticated with APs that are part of thesystem 100 described herein. This convenient registration andauthentication avoids the need for constantly searching for a WiFiconnection as required by other systems. Based on this automaticauthentication process, the UE 400 may be automatically connected to theWiFi network created by the APs 448 in the venue. The UE 400 may getwelcome greetings from the venue and may also receive advertising,offers, discounts, and the like.

The registration process at a single venue has been discussed above withrespect to FIG. 7. The JUMMMP Cloud 456 also advantageously provides acentralized registration function for multiple venues, as illustrated inFIG. 8. The multiple venues 440 are each connected to the JUMMMP Cloud456 via individual respective backhauls 454. If a UE 400 initiallyregisters at Venue 1, using the registration process described above,that registration information is stored in the JUMMMP Cloud 456. At alater point in time when the user enters, by way of example, Venue 2illustrated in FIG. 8, the API in the UE 400 will automatically identifythe AP 448 and begin to communicate therewith. Because the UE 400 hasalready been registered, that information is passed along to the JUMMMPCloud 456 and the Allowed List 184 a (see FIG. 2) and the Blocked List184 b are automatically downloaded to the UE 400 for its new currentlocation. This is true even if the various venues 440 are located farfrom one another. For example, an initial registration of the UE maytake place at a sports venue in, by way of example, New York City.However, if the UE 400 is carried to a casino in, by way of example, LasVegas, Nev., the UE 400 will automatically begin to communicate with theAP 448 in the new venue in Las Vegas. Because each venue is coupled tothe JUMMMP Cloud 456, the UE 400 need not undergo another registrationprocess when it enters the venue 440 in Las Vegas. Thus, a singleregistration process at any venue is sufficient for registration withthe JUMMMP Cloud 456. Whenever the UE 400 goes into a different venue440 that is coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud 456, the UE 400 is automaticallyrecognized and authenticated. During the automatic authenticationprocess, the JUMMMP Cloud 456 may provide interstitial portal pages 464to the UE 400. Upon completion of the automatic registration process,welcome portal pages 466 may then be transmitted to the UE 400.

Much of the programming functionality described above with respect tothe UE is the result of the API executing on the UE. As the UE enters aparticular venue (e.g., the venue 440 in FIG. 6), the UE 400 performsthe automatic authentication process described above and allows thevenue to manage the user's WiFi experience.

In addition, the API, once installed as a service on the UE 400, cancontrol the handset in terms of the content that can be pushed in thevenue WiFi environment. Unlike an application program, which must beactively executing, the push of content can be delivered to the UE 400by the API without any application actively running. For example, theAPI executing on an Android smartphone can have content that pops up onthe phone while the API is running. The pushed content, in addition tothe social networking aspects of the API discussed above, can includeadvertising, point-of-sale, and multi-cast streaming video.

In addition, the API executing on the UE 400 can pull advertising data.For example, the API can pull advertising data from the local ad server468 (see FIG. 7) when the API initially connects to the AP 448. Inaddition, the API can pull further ads from, by way of example, thelocal ad server 468, when the API sends a heartbeat signal. In addition,the API can also pull for ads at any time.

As discussed above, the API works in support of a push advertisingplatform in support of a WiFi network. The ads may be in the form ofpromotions, offers, discounts, and the like and are simply collectivelyreferred to as ads. Operating in conjunction with the network 110, suchas the Internet, the venue can push a number of different ads to the UE400. For example, the ads may include banner ads that provide a link toa website. On that website, any type of content, ad, video, audio,images, etc. can be shown. When clicked by the user, the banner ad canalso download an application or an animated ad, or full screen bannerads. The ads may be provided directly by the venue 440, or retrievedfrom the local ad server 468 (see FIG. 7). In addition, the ads may beprovided from an internal or third-party ad server.

Alternatively, ADMOB ads can be downloaded using an application program.ADMOB is a third part company that specializes in delivery ofadvertising to mobile units. However, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the ads can be provided to the API by any internal orthird-party ad server.

In an alternative embodiment, an ad may be provided to the UE 400 by asuper user. A super user is an individual that has been authorized topush ads to the UE. For example, the maître-d in a restaurant in ahotel, resort complex or casino may be authorized to send ads to the UEs400 to provide selected deals for the restaurant. The super user candecide to push ads to users that are just outside the restaurant byselectively targeting certain APs 448 that are near the restaurant orthe ad can be pushed to all APs within the entire facility. In anotherexample, a casino theater/nightclub may have a large number of emptyseats shortly before show time. In this example, a club manager may be asuper user and can send an ad for discounted ticket prices (e.g. 50%off) to the UEs 400. Again, the ad may be targeted to APs near thetheater/nightclub or to all Aps throughout the facility. Thus, a superuser is an individual designated to authorize the delivery of ads to theUEs 400 on an “as-needed” basis. As discussed above, ads refergenerically to advertisements of any form, including, but not limited totext ads, pop-up menus, video, audio, images, and the like. In oneembodiment, the super user may be able to select the ad type from amonga plurality of available ads. For example, an initial ad may simply be atext message offering a small percentage discount, while a subsequent admay be a banner ad or a full screen image offering a greater discount.In yet another alternative embodiment, the super user may send a link towebsite containing the actual ad.

In yet another embodiment, a quick response (QR) code can be pushed tothe UE 400. A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code matrix. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the QR code can be used to sendactual data from the UE 400 to a website.

As previously discussed, messages sent to the UE from the venue 440 cantake the form of an image, PDF file, video, audio, link to a website,actively pop-up a website, or may include text messages. As describedabove, text messages may be in the form of public text messages intendedfor multiple UEs 400 or a private text message intended for a single UE.In addition, the API can review and activate a command to open up anapplication remotely. For example, when the UE 400 walks withinproximity of the AP 448, an application can be automatically opened up.The remote activation of an application can be controlled to be a publicactivation for any UE 400 that moves within range of an AP 448 or can betargeted to individual UEs as a private ad.

The use of the Allowed List 184A and Blocked List 184B (see FIG. 2) hasbeen discussed above. In the context of the API, the Allowed List 184Aand Blocked List 184 B can be used by the UE to identify verifiedenterprise users within the venue 440 itself or to any venue coupled tothe JUMMMP Cloud 456 (see FIG. 7). The Allowed List 184A and the BlockedList 184B are generated for the API at API start-up. In one embodiment,the Allowed List 184A and Blocked List 184B may be downloaded from theJUMMMP Cloud 456. In an exemplary embodiment, the JUMMMP Cloud 456 mayprovide verification of enterprise users in a geographic areasurrounding the present location of the UE 400. For example, if the UE400 is presently in a venue 440, such as a casino in Las Vegas, theJUMMMP Cloud 456 may download the Allowed List 184A and the Blocked List184B for the particular venue in Las Vegas or, for the entire Las Vegasarea. In one embodiment, the Allowed List 184A and the Blocked List 184Bare downloaded from the JUMMMP Cloud 456 when the API sends a heartbeatsignal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Allowed List184A and the Blocked List 184B can be updated on a continuous basis.Thus, the US 400 maintains up-to-date lists.

The concept of a super user has been discussed above. In an exemplaryembodiment, the device ID of the device being used by the super usermust be verified and contained in the Allowed List 184A. A corporationor business entity can also be designated as a corporate super user. Inthis embodiment, corporate super users can enter their corporate ID intheir profile and, if the corporate ID is contained within Allowed List184A, the corporate super users will be able to send verified adsregardless of the actual device ID. In this manner, individual verifiedusers and corporate-wide users can be verified for the UE 400.

The concept of automatic user verification in multiple venues has beendiscussed above with respect to FIG. 8. That is, once a user isregistered and verified in one venue, that user information isassociated with the UE 400 and that information is stored In the JUMMMPCloud 456. At a Later date, when the user enters another venue coupledto the JUMMMP Cloud 456, the UE 400 is automatically identified andverified by virtue of the previous registration. Thus, the API permitsautomatic verification across multiple venues. In the context ofadvertising, it is possible to provide ads from one venue to another.For example, someone from Los Angeles visiting Las Vegas could receivelocal ads from, by way of example, the MGM casino, as well as ads fromone of the baseball teams in Los Angeles for use when the user returnshome.

When a UE 400 enters a new venue 440 that is coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud456, automatic verification is performed, as described above. Uponverification, the API can remotely activate an application, as describedabove. The application can be automatically updated on the UE 400 forthe particular venue 440. In addition, the application can provide a new“skin” for the UE 400 that is unique to that particular venue.

Because the API remains on the UE 400, it remains active unless the useruninstalls it. In the absence of removal of the API, the UE 400 will betracked by heart beats that are sent to the JUMMMP Cloud 456 on adefined time interval. As a result, the UE 400 can continue to receiveads, text messages, and the like that will be pushed to the phone by anyvenue coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud 456. If two UEs 400 have bothinstalled the API and have left a venue 440, the two devices can stillcommunicate with each other using the short-range communication network116 as previously described.

FIG. 9 graphically illustrates the interconnectivity of the variouscomponents discussed above. The user may be contacted through an emailor similar communication to download the API to the UE 400 prior to avisit to any venue. This is illustrated at 500 in FIG. 9. If the UE 400has the API pre-installed, it is automatically verified whenever the UE400 comes within range of any AP 448 coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud 456. Ifthe user chooses not to pre-install the API, the user may manuallyconnect to an AP 448 when the user arrives at the venue 440. In thisevent, the user is provided a portal page login 462 (see FIG. 7) atwhich point the user may provide information and download the API. In anexemplary embodiment, the venue 440 may offer incentives, such as freeWiFi access at the venue in exchange for downloading the API. Details ofthe registration process have been discussed above with respect to FIG.7.

If the user has manually installed the API prior to a visit to the venue440, or has previously visited a venue 440 and downloaded the API, theUE 400 is automatically recognized whenever the user enters a venue 440that is coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud 456. The automatic authenticationprocess has been described above. In addition, any updates to the APImay be automatically installed whenever the UE undergoes the automaticverification process. In this embodiment, the initial verification mayinclude an indication of the current software version of the API toallow the UE 400 to determine whether it has the most current software.If not, the UE 400 can automatically request the updated softwareversion of the API. Furthermore, any associated APs can also be updatedupon identification/verification.

Once the registered and authenticated user has entered a venue 440 (seeFIG. 7), the API will automatically communicate with the one or more APs448. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the venue 440 comprises a number ofdifferent avenues by which it may push content to the UE 400 includingads of any type, streaming multicast video, point-of-sales information,and the like. As noted above, the API resident within the UE 400 permitsthe reception of content by the UE. It is not necessary for anapplication program to be currently executing to receive such content.As illustrated in FIG. 9, the system may include an enterprise POSwebsite 502 to provide point-of-sales information and salesopportunities to the UE 400. The POS information may be ads of any sort,discount prices, free services, or the like. The enterprise POS website502 may be resident within the venue 440 or coupled to the network 110to deliver its content.

The enterprise POS website 502 can provide a secure website connectionvia the network 110 or directly through the infrastructure at the venue440 to communicate with one or more of the APs 448. In one embodiment,the user may provide credit card information during the initialregistration process. If so, the enterprise POS website 502 can access asecure connection to retrieve the credit card information.Alternatively, the user may transmit the credit card information to theenterprise POS website 502 via a secure connection using, by way ofexample, a private communication. The enterprise POS website 502 canprovide secure web pages for credit card information in this embodiment.The enterprise POS website 502 can also provide information regardingfood and/or merchandise menus for ordering. The venue APP can beconfigured to provide seating location to a vendor as well as thefood/merchandise order and credit/cash transaction payment to permit theorder to be delivered to the guest. For example, the venue 440 may be asports venue. In this example, the UE 400 may access the enterprise POSwebsite 502 to order food to be delivered directly to the user's seatwithin the sports venue. In addition, the user may order merchandise,such as a program, sports jersey, and the like. In this example, thefood and/or merchandise can be delivered directly to the user. Uponcompletion, the transaction can be recorded, and a percentage of thefinancial transaction can flow to the service provider.

The venue may also include the venue ad server 468, described above withrespect to FIG. 7. The venue 440 may also include a venue video server504. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the nature of thevideo delivered by the venue video server 504 may be venue dependent.For example, if the venue 440 is a sports stadium, the venue videoserver 504 can deliver streaming multicast video of replays, close-ups,or video from multiple vantage points. Similarly, if the venue is a racetrack, the venue video server 504 may deliver video showing views fromdifferent portions of the race track, on-board video cameras mounted tothe race cars, replays, and the like. In yet another example, a casinovenue 440 may use the venue video server 504 to deliver videoinstructional services for different games (i.e., poker, blackjack,roulette, and the like). The venue video server in a casino venue canalso deliver streaming multicast video of performances in anightclub/theater within the casino. Thus, the venue video server is aflexible device that can deliver various forms of video to the UE 400via one or more APs 448.

In addition, FIG. 9 illustrates a super user 506. As discussed above,certain individuals or corporate super users can be authorized todeliver ads to the UE on short notice.

FIG. 9 also illustrates the type of contact that can be delivered fromthe AP 448 to the UE 400, including an ad 508, content from antherwebsite or a link to another website 510, a promotion from anothervenue, an audio ad 514, a QR code 516, and streaming multicast video518, which may include streaming video as described above, or yetanother form of ad messaging to the UE 400.

When the UE leaves the venue 440, it may still be able to receive pushcontent. If the AP is still active when the UE exits the venue at 520,it can continue to receive push content at 522. To stop receiving pushcontent, the user can turn off the API at 524 or uninstall the API at526. However, if the user of the UE 400 elects to keep the API active,the UE 400 can communicate with other phones having the API installedusing the short-range networks at step 528. The dynamic formation,maintenance, and termination of short-range communication networks 116have been described in detail above.

Another advantage of maintaining the API in an active state is that theUE 400 will automatically be authenticated, at step 530, whenever the UE400 comes within range of an AP 448 coupled to the JUMMMP Cloud 456.

If the API has been turned off or uninstalled at decision 520, thesystem 100 is unable to push additional content at step 532.Furthermore, the UE will be unable to form any short-range communicationnetworks 116 and will not be automatically authenticated when the userreenters the original venue 440 or enters a new venue 440 coupled to theJUMMMP Cloud 456.

The multicast streaming video will be sent through the network of APs448 and directed to the UE 400. The streaming video can be playedlocally on the UE 400 with a conventional multicast video player. Inaddition, video ads can be interstitially placed in the video stream asan additional source of ad revenue. Furthermore, static and dynamic adscan be placed in the video player for additional ad revenue. Forexample, the streaming video may contain a banner ad above or below theactual video content. The banner ads may also provide a link to thewebsite 510.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different componentscontained within, or connected with, different other components. It isto be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary,and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented whichachieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangementof components to achieve the same functionality is effectively“associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, anytwo components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality canbe seen as “associated with” each other such that the desiredfunctionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedialcomponents. Likewise, any two components so associated can also beviewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to eachother to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein,and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appendedclaims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations).

Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an authenticationserver configured to receive an authentication request from each of aplurality of wireless communication devices and, in response to eachauthentication request, to verify an identity of the wirelesscommunication device transmitting the request based on authenticationdata contained in the authentication request; a plurality of wirelessaccess points associated with a venue, and distributed throughout thevenue, the plurality of wireless access points being configured toreceive the authentication requests from a short-range transceiver ineach of the respective wireless communication devices, a first of theplurality of wireless access points that detects an authenticationrequest from a first of the plurality of wireless communication devicesbeing configured to communicate with the authentication server and toprovide the authentication data to the authentication server, and, whenthe identity is verified such that the first wireless communicationdevice is authenticated, to establish a communication link between thefirst wireless communication device and one or more of the plurality ofwireless access points such that the communication link is maintained solong as the first wireless communication device is within range of atleast one of the plurality of wireless access points; and a contentserver configured to deliver video data content to the authenticatedwireless communication device via the communication link.
 2. The systemof claim 1 wherein the content server is located in the venue.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the content server is located in a locationremote from the venue.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein theauthentication server is further configured to initiate an initialregistration for the first wireless communication device upon failure tothe first wireless communication device and the first wirelesscommunication device is not authenticated, the first of the plurality ofwireless access points being configured to receive registration datacomprising a device identification code from the unauthenticatedwireless communication device.
 5. The system of claim 4, furthercomprising a video data source wherein the video data content comprisesinterstitial data delivered from the video data source to the wirelesscommunication device during the initial registration.
 6. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the venue has a plurality of vendors and the video datacontent is video data from one of the plurality of vendors delivered tothe wireless communication device via the communication link.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6 wherein the venue approves each of the plurality ofvendors and the video data content is video data from an approved vendordelivered to the wireless communication device via the communicationlink.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the video data content comprisesvideo advertising data.
 9. A system for the authentication of a wirelesscommunication device having a short-range transceiver in a plurality ofvenues, comprising: at least one wireless access point within each ofthe plurality of venues, the wireless access points in each of theplurality of venues being configured to transmit a predetermined beaconsignal; a venue communications interface within each of the plurality ofvenues, each venue communications interface being communicativelycoupled to the access points in the respective venue, and also beingcoupled to a network to control communications between the venue and thenetwork; and an authentication server coupled to the network and beingconfigured to communicate with each of the plurality of venues via therespective venue communications interfaces, wherein a first wirelessaccess point in a first of the plurality of venues receives anauthentication request from the wireless communication device, theauthentication request including identification data identifying thewireless communication device; wherein the first wireless access pointtransmits the authentication request to the authentication server viathe venue communications interface and the network; wherein theauthentication server is configured to authenticate the wirelesscommunication device using the received identification data to determineif the wireless communication device associated with the identificationdata is a registered device, the authentication server authenticatingthe wireless communication device if the wireless communication deviceis a registered device, the authentication server being furtherconfigured to send authentication results to the first venue; andwherein the wireless communication device can be automaticallyauthenticated in any of the plurality of venues and can maintain acommunication link with the venue in which it is authenticated so longas the wireless communication device is within communication range ofany of the wireless access points in the venue in which it isauthenticated.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the wirelesscommunication device, if authenticated, can establish a communicationlink with any of the wireless access points within the first venue. 11.The system of claim 9 wherein the first wireless access point is furtherconfigured to perform a manual registration procedure with the first ofthe plurality of venues if the wireless communication device is not aregistered device, the manual registration including providingidentification data associated with the wireless communication device;and the first wireless access point sending the registration dataassociated with the wireless communication device to the authenticationserver via the first venue communications interface and the network, forfuture authentication.
 12. The system of claim 9 wherein the centralauthentication server is located remotely from the plurality of venues.13. The system of claim 9 wherein a plurality of vendors in geographicproximity to each of the plurality of venues are registered with therespective venue as authenticated, the venue in which the wirelesscommunication device has been authenticated being further configured toautomatically transmit to the authenticated wireless communicationdevice, via a wireless access point within the venue, a list ofauthenticated vendors in a geographic region proximate the venue inwhich the wireless communication device has been authenticated.
 14. Thesystem of claim 9 wherein the wireless access points in the venue inwhich the wireless communication device has been authenticated arefurther configured to receive a periodically transmitted signal from thewireless communication device so long as the communication link with theaccess point is still established.
 15. The system of claim 14 whereinthe periodically transmitted signal comprises data indicative of acurrent location of the wireless communication device.
 16. A method forthe authentication of a wireless communication device in a plurality ofvenues wherein the wireless communication device comprises a short-rangetransceiver, the method comprising: each of the plurality of venueshaving at least one access point with the access points in each of theplurality of venues; a first wireless access point in a first of theplurality of venues receiving an authentication request from thewireless communication device using the short-range transceiver, theauthentication request including the identification data associated withthe wireless communication device; an authentication server receivingthe identification information from the first wireless access point andperforming an authentication process using the received identificationdata to determine that the wireless communication device associated withthe identification data is a registered device, the authenticationserver authenticating the wireless communication device upon determiningthat the wireless communication device is a registered device; sendingauthentication results from the authentication server to the firstvenue; and upon authentication of the wireless communication device,establishing a communication link between the authenticated wirelesscommunication device and any of the wireless access points in the firstvenue wherein the wireless communication device can be automaticallyauthenticated in any of the plurality of venues and can maintain acommunication link with the venue in which it is authenticated so longas the wireless communication device is within communication range ofany of the wireless access points in the venue in which it isauthenticated.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: using theshort-range transceiver to perform a manual registration procedure withthe first of the plurality of venues if the wireless communicationdevice is not a registered device, the manual registration includingproviding identification data associated with the wireless communicationdevice; and sending the registration data associated with the wirelesscommunication device to the authentication server for futureauthentication.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the authenticationserver is located remotely from the plurality of venues.
 19. The methodof claim 16 wherein the wireless communication device automaticallysearches for an access point transmitting a predetermined beacon signaland automatically transmits the authentication request to a detectedwireless access point transmitting the predetermined beacon signal. 20.The method of claim 16 wherein a plurality of vendors in geographicproximity to each of the plurality of venues are registered with thevenue as authenticated, the method further comprising automaticallysending the authenticated wireless communication device a list ofauthenticated vendors in a geographic region proximate the venue inwhich the wireless communication device has been authenticated uponestablishing the communication link with the access point.